When I first saw photos of this abandoned manor online, I literally ached inside for the chance to photograph it. As I began researching the property in the UrbEx community however, my hopes began to sink. It’s next to a farmhouse? You have to get over a five foot high corrugated metal fence, and then past an additional large chain link fence? The farmer has caught people before?
THE PLACE IS GUARDED BY A BULL THAT THE FARMER KEEPS IN THE YARD FOR THE EXPRESS PURPOSE OF DISCOURAGING URBAN EXPLORERS???
What?
Despite the sinking feeling in my stomach that this was starting to sound impossible, I decided to give it a go anyways. Along with my friend Alicja, we decided we were up for the challenge and once we were over the fence there was no turning back. My research had paid off, as the entry point to the manor was exactly where others had said it would be (A broken window) along with the trick to get past the chain link fence. And, even though a few people have reported aggressive behavior from the bull, he was pretty chill for us, staring at us languidly whilst munching hay.
Words cannot begin to describe how awesome this place was. It is a time capsule from the 1930s and 40s, and the whole place looks as though the previous occupants simply got up and walked out one day and no one has touched it since. This gigantic property was a treasure trove of everything from the amazing to the downright bizarre and everything in between, from a large pipe organ to an old timey typewriter, newpapers dated from the 30s to a fully stocked, floor to ceiling LIBRARY. Needless to say we both had an amazing time discovering what this rare house had to offer, and it was truly a once in a lifetime find.
We entered the manor through a broken window, into a room filled with interesting debris, products from the 30s and 40s, and odd little statuettes, among other brik-a-brak. Immediately we succumbed to sensory overload: there were a million and one details to look at, take in, and focus on, our eyes dried rather quickly as the onslaught of million year old dust began, and the room smelled distinctly old and mildew-y. We exited the room by crawling through the knocked-out bottom half of a large, locked door and made our way into the foyer. The grand staircase spiraled up and up, it’s hand rails all made of some heavy (and no doubt, expensive) wood that had been hand carved, the whole thing culminating at the top of the house in a beautiful skylight. The stair’s carpet runner was in serious decay, and sitting on one of the steps was an incredibly old and worn (but still readable) Bible. The top floor was accessible only via the ladder shown in the photos, a daring feat which Alicja had no problems undertaking as she climbed up the three story wooden ladder, only to report there was nothing to see at the top.
In the foyer there stood a desk with an old typewriter and what looked to be some sort of guest log, with signatures dating back to the late 30s. Postcards and faded photos littered the floor. We made our way into the “deer room,” marveling at the tattered curtains, the old radio, and of course… the deer head, which someone had managed to insert a fake flower into the corner of it’s mouth.
